Farm Stories from SSAWG
Elmwood Stock Farm
Ann Bell and Mac Stone of Georgetown, KY raise vegetables, fruits, beef, lamb, and poultry for sale at two area farmers' markets in addition to home delivery and restaurants.
Dripping Springs Gardens
Farmers' markets provide Mark Cain of Huntsville, AR an outlet for a diverse mix of fruits, veggies, and value added products, including their specialty - bouquets of specialty cut flowers made on-site.
Maple Springs Gardens
Raising over 40 varieties of veggies, plus flowers and berries, Ken Dawson and Libby Outlaw of Cedar Grove, NC rely on several farmers' markets for peak season sales.
Crystal Organic Farm
The year-round local farmers' markets account for half of Nicholas Donck's fruit and vegetable sales from his farm in Newborn, GA.
Perigrine Farms
Alex and Betsy Hitt take advantage of established markets around Graham, NC to sell their diverse crops of flowers and vegetables.
Periwinkle Farms
Three markets near the Chapel Hill area of NC provide Cathy Jones and Michael Perry a sustainable sales outlet for flowers, herbs, vegetables, and eggs.
Rosie's Organic Farms
Rosie Koenig of Gainesville, FL markets her ten acres of fruit and vegetable crops, including winter greenhouse products, through three farmers' markets.
Mauthe's Dairy
Value-added dairy production has opened up four farmers' markets as outlets for Jamie and Kenny Mauthe of McComb, MS.
Millberg Farms
Tim Miller sells about one-third of his heirloom vegetables, pecans, pears, peaches, and plums at a farmers' market near Kyle, TX.
Celebrity Dairy
Flemming and Britt Pfann of Siler City, NC began selling their goat cheeses at a local farmers' market, which still complements their sales to restaurants, stores, and other direct outlets.
DeSoto Lakes Organics
Concepts of balance and diversity of crops translates to diverse marketing through farmers' markets and other outlets for Bill and Pam Pischer of Sarasota, FL.
Potomac Vegetable Farms
Ellen Polishuk of Purcellville, VA participates in five seasonal markets in the DC suburbs, selling vegetables, flowers, and herbs to a predominantly upscale customer base.
Sechrist Ranch
Peggy and Richard Sechrist of Fredericksburg, TX utilized local farmers' markets to launch their products and build a local market for their organic beef.
Smith Farms
Chuck and Mary Smith diversified their operation in New Castle, KY from tobacco to beef and organic veggies, having recently added poultry due to feedback from shoppers at local farmers' markets.
Au Naturel Farm
A variety of crops such as vegetables, beef, and poultry provide Alison and Paul Wiediger of Smith Grove, KY with a year round income from two farmers' markets and other direct outlets.
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Mark Cain of Dripping Springs Gardens markets specialty products, like custom made bouquets, directly to consumers at farmers' markets. |
Links to other resources:
Free online posting of farmers' markets is offered through SSAWG partnerships with Local Harvest, Rodale's New Farm, and other organizations. Visit our Farm Finder page for more info.
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA) has published a number of resources related to farmers' markets, available online through a searchable database.
The New Farmers' Market and Sell What You Sow are both recommended reading for market organizers and vendors alike. Both are available from New World Publishing.
Funding Sources
USDA Rural Development provides funding for Enterprise Development, Business Opportunity, and Value-Added Producers.
The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) has announced calls for the 2005 Grant cycle.
Discussion Forums
The SARE-sponsored Sustainable Agriculture Network (SANET) Listserv features a discussion of sustainable agriculture topics, including discussions about farmers' markets. Details are available at http://lists.sare.org/archives/sanet-mg.html.
New Farm hosts a General Marketing discussion forum, covering several aspects of agricultural marketing such as direct sales through farmers' markets.
If you know of list servers or discussion forums that focus on value-added enterprises for fruit and vegetable farmers, please let us know. info@ssawg.org
The USDA's National Farmers' Market Directory listed over 3,700 farmers' markets in 2004, like this one - The Austin Farmers' Market operated by Sustainable Food Center in downtown Austin, TX.
We'd love to include photos of other farms and markets from the Southern region on the SSAWG site. Send photos, along with a description and a photo credit, of your farm or favorite farmers' market to: info@ssawg.org |
